


New Beginnings and Old Friends

by kaitlia777



Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Gen, Ignores anything after Season 2, M/M, Unfinished
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 20:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9842066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaitlia777/pseuds/kaitlia777
Summary: In the aftermath of Exit Wounds, Torchwood 3 begins to rebuild itself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting old fics from FF. net....Kind of a mess
> 
> Note: The back-story of one of my OC's crosses over with the Buffy-verse. For the purpose of imagery, when I wrote this I pictured Sage as looking like a 24 year old Taylor Swift and Peyton as Jamie Bamber about when he filmed Hornblower. Sorry about the amount of OC info, but I want to introduce these two.

Sixteen days after Gray's rampage found the three remaining members of Torchwood 3 running on fumes. The only moments of calm they had found since the deaths of Toshiko Sato and Owen Harper was on the day Ianto had found Tosh's farewell message. That day they stood, already emotionally exhausted by the pain of loss, Captain Jack Harkness with his arms around Ianto Jones and Gwen Cooper vowing to face the future together.

Then alarms began going off around the HUB. Reports were pouring in about odd remains found at the central server building, St Helen's Hospital and many other locations in addition to the destruction left behind by the multiple, massive explosions. Damage control, weevil wrangling and assorted rift activity kept them working non-stop. An attempt was made to retcon some of the witnesses, but it soon became evident that too many people were involved for that to be a reasonable action.

They had been able to assign some of the more comprehensible disasters to the Cardiff Police Department, but with the loss of their command structure they were more than a bit befuddled themselves. Fortunately, training took over and they took orders from Torchwood with little fuss or offense.

Still, for more than two weeks they handled far to much work with far too few personnel. Some nights they managed a few hours sleep slumped over desks or on a couch, but in general coffee and adrenaline kept them going.

After yet another Weevil hunt, Jack trudged up from the holding cells, where he had deposited said Weevil, and looked blearily around the HUB. Gwen was sitting on the low sofa, holding an icepack to her bruised shoulder as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her cell phone lay on the table in front of her, buzzing, but she seemed not to notice it. It was probably Rhys, worried about her, wondering if she was coming home or, failing that, if they'd like him to stop by with some take away.

Ianto was carefully making his way over to her, bearing a tray with three mugs of extra strong coffee in his shaking hands. Instead of his usual impeccably tailored suit, he wore battered jeans, a t shirt and a hoodie, style long since sacrificed to comfort and practicality. Dark, bruised looking crescents sat under his eyes, prominent against his pale skin and he sported a nasty scrape on his chin as well as others concealed by his clothes, if the hesitant way he sat was any indication.

Approaching his two young Welsh friends, Jack lowered himself down beside Ianto and accepted his coffee. With a sigh, he inhaled the aroma and took a sip. "I think the worst has passed for the moment," he said, turning his head to regard them and wincing as his neck cracked. "Go get some rest. At least 12 hours of sleep."

Brown and Blue eyes blinked sleepily at him, met, then bounced back to him. "You think we're just going to leave you to deal with things alone!" Gwen yelped indignantly, frowning over the rim of her mug.

"Not likely," Ianto agreed dryly, slumping back against the sofa and allowing his head to hit the wall with a dull thunk.

"I'm serious," Jack insisted. "The last thing we need is for one of you to get yourselves killed because you're too tired to think straight. We've got a bit of peace. Take advantage of it."

"We'll rest after we get some back up," Gwen mumbled mimicking Ianto's posture with a pout.

"Martha's last text said two of the people you requested should be here in the next day or so and the others shortly there after," Ianto supplied, raising his head a bit when Jack stretched his arm along the back of the sofa, then pillowing it against the warm bicep. "Dr.'s Wallace and Knight first I believe."

"Mmmhmm," Jack replied, tipping his head to rest against Ianto's while Gwen's head leaned into his palm. "We're getting four new staff."

"Four?" Gwen questioned without moving.

"Tech, medical, admin and…educated muscle, basically" Jack said, causing Ianto to snort softly in amusement.

"Educated muscle?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"Dr. Knight!"

Sage Knight heard her name called as she exited a small coffee shop not far from the Roald Dahl Plass and attempted to shoulder her huge, heavy duffle bag without spilling the steaming beverage. Carefully, she turned and smiled.

Doctor Peyton Wallace was jogging towards her, a smaller backpack slung over his own shoulder. She had been introduced to the young Scotsman the week before at UNIT headquarters and found his gentle, friendly demeanor quite pleasant. He had been working in their medical division for the past year but had been more than willing to transfer to Torchwood as the military aspect of UNIT never held much appeal to him.

"Good morning, Dr. Wallace," she greeted him as he came to a stop at her side.

"Ready to get to work?" he questioned merrily, pulling a bottle of green juice from the side pocket of his bag.

Sipping her coffee as they began to walk across the Plass, Sage laughed. "As soon as I get enough Caffeine into my system…What are you drinking?"

"Kiwi, Green Apple and Wheat Grass," Peyton replied, grinning as she reflexively wrinkled her nose. "Great way to start your morning."

"No coffee?"

"I try to avoid caffeine. It makes me hyper."

TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3

Captain Jack Harkness stood on the Plass near Torchwood's invisible lift, watching as his two new employees made their way towards him. For once the sun was out and a light breeze was rolling in off the Bay. Silently, Jack took a moment to consider the windswept blond pair.

When Jack began his search for new staff discreet inquiries led him to the New Council of Watchers, a clandestine group dedicated to keeping tabs on Earth based non-human phenomena. The head of the COW recommended young Watcher Sage Knight when Jack asked for possible assistance. The 24 year old had already survived a mass slaughter of the majority of the Watcher's Council then helped rebuild the organization.

As a Watcher, she has a vast array of knowledge pertaining to mysticism and magic as well as the occult, esoteric and the obscure. Her language and research skills are top notch, as is her ability to absorb new knowledge, which would be important as she had no experience with aliens. But what Jack really recruited her for was physical ability. Trained from childhood in a vast array of martial arts, weapons and tactics, she would bring a formidable force to the team as well as be able to assist the others in learning new combat skills.

Tall, blond and tanned with green eyes, she would have been the girl the boys lusted after in high school, but something about the way she held herself deterred them. There were no soft pastels or gauzy fabrics for her. Instead she wore black boots, cargo pants and layered black and white tank tops that accented her athletic build and her hair was braided tightly against her head.

Conversely, equally blond Peyton Wallace looked much softer. His compact, broad shouldered form was encased in blue jeans and a wine colored t-shirt over a light blue Oxford shirt. His fluffy reddish blond hair was tousled and his cheeks flushed rosy in the wind.

Only a year Sage's senior, Peyton was a surgical prodigy in Martha Jones's division at UNIT. He had impressed her with his competency and curiosity and had jumped when offered the transfer to Cardiff. Apparently he was possessed of an explorers heart and disposition, something that didn't flourish in the military environment of UNIT HQ.

When the pair trotted into earshot, Jack said, "Doctor Wallace, Doctor Knight."

Sage looked at him, then cocked her head to the side. "Captain Harkness."

Peyton looked like he was trying not to chuckle. "Captain."

"Please, it's just Jack," he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It had been a while since any smile had. "Something funny?"

There was a genial shrug from the medic, but Sage just said, "Martha's description of you was just eerily accurate. We thought she was kidding when she said you wear pretty much the same outfit everyday."

"Why mess with something that works so well?" Jack joked, stepping up onto the paving slab and waving them to join him.

Sage stepped up beside him and planted her feet shoulder width apart, while Peyton hesitated, then gingerly took position on Jack's other side. Raising his wrist to thumb the lift control, Jack said, "Welcome to Torchwood."

* * *

The paving stone lift jerked as it began its descent into the Hub. Jack chuckled as Peyton stumbled a bit and grabbed his arm to steady himself while Sage glared down at her feet. It was always amusing to see someone's reaction the first time they rode the lift.

"Whoa," the Scotsman breathed, head swiveling around as he attempted to take in the whole of the Hub as they descended. "I heard some of the lads at UNIT talking about this, but I never thought…"

He was cut off as Myfanawy chose to swoop in close to inspect the two new people in her domain. Freezing in mid-sentence, Peyton obviously did not know how to react. Sage, however, produced a wicked looking blade from somewhere on her person and shifted as if to launch herself at the dinosaur on it's next pass.

Placing a steadying hand on her shoulder, Jack said, "That's Myfanawy. She's our…guard-dinosaur. Good instinct though. Very aggressive."

Her response was to relax a fraction and grunt non-commitally, her sharp eyes still focused on the large pterodactyl circling above. After a moment, the balde returned to it's hiding place as smoothly as it had appeared.

"Pterodactyl," Peyton murmured as the lift came to a halt, which again made him jump. "Shit."

"Doctor Peyton Wallace, Sage Knight," Jack said, motioning to Ianto, Gwen and Rhys who were gathered nearby, "Ianto Jones, head archivist, Gwen Cooper, second in command and Rhys Williams, Gwen's husband and all around good man to have on hand in an emergency."

Rhys and Gwen both smiled proudly at the compliment and Ianto stepped forward to offer Sage a hand in stepping down from the stone. "Ms. Knight, lovely to meet you," he intoned. "May I help you with that?"

He motioned to her bag, and as Jack tugged a still gaping Peyton down and gave him a slight push towards Gwen, she shook her head. "I've got it. Thanks."

"All right there?" Gwen asked gently, taking Peyton's arm and leading him into the main work area. She peered worriedly at his pale face but was pleased to note that he had stopped muttering the word pterodactyl repeatedly. Following them Rhys chuckled under his breath, obviously glad to no longer be the goggling newbie, even if he didn't actually work for Torchwood.

Wide blue eyes meeting hers, the doctor said, "Just brilliant, thanks."

"Wallace, this will be your desk and of course the autopsy bay will be your area," Jack said loudly, pointing at Owen's cleaned desk with a wistful frown. He then pointed to another desk which had been hauled up from storage and pushed into an unoccupied corner. "Knight, you're over there and we'll work on setting up an empty store room for training."

The pair nodded and made their way to their respective desks. Once there they each picked the sheet of paper sitting centered on the surface. Jack smiled at Ianto. "Owen's Rules?" One day, a bored Owen had made up a funny list of rules by pooling everyone's ideas.

Ianto and Gwen giggled and before Rhys could ask, Ianto presented him with a paper of his own. Looking down he read:

The Torchwood Three Rule Book

"This is going to be horrifying, yeah?"

"More than likely."

* * *

Having been the last "Rookie" hired on at Torchwood 3, Gwen never before had the opportunity to watch a new co-worker settle into the overwhelming environment that was the HUB. So, it was with great interest that she observed Peyton and Sage as they

unpacked their supplies and set up the computers Jack and Ianto had hauled out of storage, all while trying to gaze around at their new surroundings.

After Jack disappeared into the depths of the HUB to do god knew what, Gwen sat with Ianto and Rhys, sipping coffee and enjoying the seemingly calm day. "So, I know my first day was a bit…eventful, what with the alien sex gas and all, but is there something we should be doing to help them settle in?" Gwen asked Ianto.

The younger man grinned. "At Torchwood 1 there were weeks of orientation, but as with most administrative protocols Jack has chosen a more casual, organic approach. My first day he simply introduced me to the others and that was it. I spent the day trying to make sense of their filing system, which consisted of post it notes and scraps of paper with illegible writing or pizza sauce stains on them. Then there was the mystery of the cups. I found old coffee cups in the oddest places. I thought they were all at least mildly insane for several days until I realized Owen was deliberately hiding mugs in stranger and stranger places to see if I'd actually find them…."

Rhys chuckled as Ianto trailed off and Gwen regarded him with big eyes. "Did you do what you did the time you found a room full of old pizza boxes in the archives?" she asked, remembering the time she had come into the office to find a very startled Jack dodging empty pizza boxes while trying to come up with some explanation for their presence.

"Oh no," Ianto assured her. "Just gathered all the cups, with their congealed nastiness in them, and dumped them in Owen's car."

"That's evil, mate," Rhys burst out laughing and thumped the younger man on the shoulder.

"Bet you never saw those cups again," Gwen giggled, peeking down at her mug. "Right?"

"Even if I had, they would have been thrown out. When I got here the kitchen was a disaster. Things were labeled with post it's that read "slightly used," "dirty," "do not use again," "toxic," etc. I couldn't even tell you about the coffee maker and microwave. I still have nightmares about them. I simply made Jack buy new kitchen appliances, place settings and silverware and binned all the old things," Ianto said smugly, sipping his coffee contentedly.

Gwen and Rhys exchanged amused glances and Rhys joked, "How did you manage that? I've been trying to convince Gwen we need a new range, but…."

"Oh stop, you!" Gwen exclaimed, elbowing her husband, then cocking her head to the side. "Is that a crossbow?"

The two men turned their heads to follow her line of sight. Sage had unloaded a whole lot of odd looking books, wooden boxes, crystals and vials from her bag and was proceeding to lay out an array of weapons. Throwing knives, daggers, Browning High Power handguns, stun guns, retractable batons, brass knuckles and, oddly, wooden stakes littered her desk as she adjusted some part of a compact crossbow.

They watched her for a moment before Rhys asked, "Is it just me or is she kind of scary?"

"That's why I hired her," Jack's voice startled the trio and they swung around to regard him as he lowered himself onto the sofa.

"Where have you been?" Ianto asked, sighing indulgently as the American stole a sip of his coffee.

Jack smiled and nodded toward Sage. "Looking for an appropriate room for her to set up a training gym."

Over by her desk, Sage was inspecting a lethal little dagger and Peyton was watching handle the weapon. The doctor was gripping a stack of overstuffed files as he stared, blushing to his hairline.

"So, Ms. Heavy Armament is going to be teaching us hand to hand combat?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," Jack said, attempting to steal Ianto's coffee again.

Ianto moved his cup to safety and asked, "Would you like a cup of your own?"

Gwen giggled as Jack batted his eyes and said, "Please…."

Ianto rose looking at Gwen and Rhys to see if they wanted refills, noting their nods. He then made his way over to where Sage and Peyton were working. "Would anyone care for a coffee?" he asked them.

Sage looked up from her knife and a smile lit her face, softening her stern, serious visage. "I'd love some, Mr. Jones."

"How do you take it, Doctor Knight?"

"Anyone who offers me coffee can call me Sage. And black, please. Is there anything I can do to help…that doesn't violate the Rules, of course." Her green eyes were impish as she nodded to the paper still sitting on her desk.

Ianto smiled and shook his head. "No thank you, Sage. And it's Ianto."

"Ianto," she acknowledged as he stepped over toward Peyton.

"And you Doctor Wallace?" he asked the Scotsman.

Hefting one of his juice bottles, the Medic replied, "None for me. I don't drink anything with caffeine. I get shaky. But thanks. And I'm Peyton."

Ianto regarded the smaller man. "No coffee. Ever?"

"Nope. Juice and Milk. Does a body good."

With a nod Ianto turned away and walked toward the kitchen, but not before Gwen, Rhys and Jack noted the almost horrified look on his face.

Jack grinned at Gwen and Rhys. "I'm gonna go make sure he's okay. The anti-coffee stance might just be what pushes him to the limit."

After Jack disappeared into the kitchen after Ianto, Gwen turned to look at Rhys. "The coffee might take a while."

* * *

The lower levels of Torchwood 3 were dark and dank, like something out of a silly horror movie. At all times, a hum of technology created a white noise in the background, punctuated occasionally by the wail of a weevil in the cells. The lighting was poor and cast eerie shadows along the walls and floor.

Sage Knight found it all oddly comforting. That, she thought, probably reflected poorly on her life experiences thus far.

The room that Jack had set aside for use as a gym was on the same level as the underground garage which was a convenience when dragging equipment in from her car. She had made several trips with pads and sparring equipment and was dragging a heavy bag down one of the deserted halls when she heard something…someone.

"I don't know."

"It's been near three weeks! We should be able to do something. Anything!"

"I know…"

Peering into a room that held several banks of monitors and technology she couldn't identify, Sage watched the pair continue to squabble until the man's hand passed through one of the screens. The picture shorted out and went blank, causing both figures to step back from the machines in surprise.

"So, who might you two be?" Sage asked from the doorway, fairly certain they hadn't yet become adept at manipulating the physical world. Of course, she thought, take a job dealing with aliens and the first encounter I have is with a pair of novice ghosts. Old hat.

The pair exchanged almost comical looks. "She can see us?"

"How? No one else has."

"Dunno…."

Waving a hand, Sage said, "Sensitive to disturbances in the astral plane and you two are sending out major ripples. Plus, you seem connected to the rift that's oh so important to this place."

"We're connected to the rift?" the woman questioned excitedly.

Sage nodded, stepping into the room and reaching out a hand toward the pair, allowing her fingers brushed the man's jacket. "Oh!" she gasped, pulling back in shock. "Oh, not normal ghosts at all!"

"There are normal ghosts?" the man sniped and the woman punched his arm lightly.

Ignoring their interplay, Sage said, "Come with me."

TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3

Jack Harkness stood on the walkway looking over the HUB, watching his team go about their business. Gwen was going through a stack of police reports, having sent Rhys off to do whatever it was he needed to do on a Saturday, while Ianto was perusing the usual paranoid alien spotters websites, looking for anything with a shred of truth.

Soft music wafted up from the autopsy pit where Peyton had disappeared some hours earlier. Jack was certain he had heard the young man mention organizing the medical supplies.

Making an appearance from the lower levels, Sage made a bee line for her desk, yanking out several books and boxes. She also seemed to be talking to herself.

After a moment, Jack made his way down to stand between Gwen and Ianto. They too had noticed the odd behavior and were warily watching their new co-worker.

Sage proceeded to pull out a bundle of white herbs, light the end on fire and wave it around. Stopping suddenly, she glared at an empty space and declared, "I am not a hippie!"

Ianto leaned towards Jack and asked, "Did her previous employers mention the fact that she's a bit touched?"

"Touched?" Gwen said unhappily, "I'd say that's more than touched."

The blond had left the burning herbs in a bowl as she walked around the room, placing small crystals as she went.

"Sage," Jack began gently, hoping not to startle the apparently crazy person. "What are you doing?"

Pausing, she blinked at them. "This looks a bit odd, I know," she said, then waved a piece of chalk at them. "Just wait a minute."

She then dropped to the ground and drew a series of symbols on the floor.

"Let's do a recap of your new hires," Ianto said dryly to Jack. "One is unhinged and the other doesn't drink coffee. Lovely choices."

"How was I supposed to know," Jack protested over Gwen's giggles, watching as Sage again scooped up the herbs and waved them over the squiggles on the floor.

Shaking the herb angrily, Sage again declared, "Not a hippie! Witch! APPELLO!"

There was a sort of spark from her fingers and the air crackled with an odd power that made Jack tense up. Gwen and Ianto rose out of their chairs equally unnerved and a startled Peyton popped up from the med bay.

Sage simply looked off at nothing again and said, "Cross the emblem."

For a moment nothing happened. Then the air crackled again and two forms took shape as if they had just taken a step over the design. No one even breathed.

Then Gwen screamed.

* * *

An interesting thing about a big concrete room with metal accents is it's capacity to allow sound to travel and echo. Gwen's scream bounced around the room for several seconds after Jack clamped a hand over her mouth, unable to make a sound himself. Ianto stood beside them, frozen. Peyton gave a little yelp and said, "Holy shit!"

"Can you lot hear us now?" Owen asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Hear you, see you, touch you," Sage said, strolling back over to her desk to put the bundle of herbs back into a bowl. After a moment, she looked up and stated, "Not unhinged either."

Then the floodgate opened and Jack, Gwen and Ianto rushed forward enveloping Owen and Tosh in exuberant hugs and kisses. Tears flowed freely until Jack planted a big kiss on Owen, causing them medic to good naturedly bellow, "Oi! Lips off!"

This made Gwen and Tosh, who were cuddled in Ianto's arms giggle. The giggles were contagious and soon all five of them were howling with laughter. Peyton disappeared into the med bay, but returned a moment later with a bit of tech in his hand, aimed at the still giggling mass.

After a moment, he gave the small device a shake, looked at it again, then mumbled, "What in the world?"

Heads turned to regard him and Jack asked, "What is it?"

"Well," the Scotsman began, then shook the tool again, "This only reads the three of you there…."

Again silence filled the room until Owen spoke up. "This is the guy you got to replace me?"

No one giggled this time.

With a sigh, Sage said, "Well, I couldn't very well re-corporealize you two with the stuff I have on hand here. No. Right now your energy signatures are simply in phase with ours, which is why everyone can see you, and as long as you remain with in the crystal boundary I set up your energy is focused, creating a sort of field round you so you seem solid."

"Excuse me," Tosh said politely, though she looked rather distressed. "Do you mean to say we're still…ghosts?"

Sage looked up at her. "No. Not like any ghosts I've ever met. This rift has a very strange effect on magics and the like. I have no idea how to deal with it. Let me do some research and I may be able to do more." With that she hauled one of her giant tomes up onto her desk and began pouring through it.

Ianto looked from Sage to Jack. "We deal with magic now?"

"Aliens weren't strange enough?" Tosh added.

Jack just smiled and gave her another hug.

TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3TORCHWOOD3

Two hours later, one of the computers sounded an alarm. On reflex, Tosh slid into a seat and said, "Weevils by Saint Mary's Church. Several of them. There are wounded."

She turned and found Jack, Ianto and Gwen smiling at her. "Good to have you back Tosh," Gwen told her happily.

"Tosh, Owen, keep an eye on things here," Jack said quickly. "Ianto, Gwen, Peyton, Sage. With me."

"How do I kill them?" Sage asked simply, finally looking up from her books.

Gwen scowled at her. "We don't want to kill them! We capture them and put them in the cells."

"Oh," she replied, placing a long, nasty blade back in it's sheath with a look that was obviously supposed to be innocent.

Jack motioned for everyone to get moving down to the SUV.

* * *

Armed with a stunner and weevil spray (Version 2.0), Jack pelted down another empty, damp alley way, chasing after a pair of angry weevils. Behind him, Peyton was keeping pace, harsh breathing more from nerves than exertion, a stunner clasped in his hands. Ianto, Gwen and Sage had broken off to follow another pair and from the sound of things over the comm, they were doing fine.

Finally, they turned into a dead end alley, cornering the two weevils. The hunched pair hissed and growled at Jack, who held up his stunner and said, "Can't we do this the easy way for once? Play nice and we'll take you to meet Janet? Hey, Peyton what should we name theses two?"

The blond man glanced at him. "Janet?"

"The Weevil in our cells."

"Oh," he said, then grinned. "Brad and Frank-N-Furter."

Jack paused then barked out a laugh. "Nice."

Over the comm, he heard Gwen yelp, "Don't do that!", and then the sounds of a scuffle. After a moment, Ianto's voice sounded out, "Well, that's one way to go about it….Don't worry Jack, we're fine. We'll bring the SUV around."

"Copy that," Jack replied, then to Peyton said, "Shall we?"

Despite his nerves, the younger man's aim was true and they soon had two unconscious Weevils to drag out to a point where they could meet the SUV.

"So we just keep them in the cells?" Peyton questioned as they made their way back out of the maze of alleys.

Jack nodded. "It's not perfect, but it's the best we can do for now."

Nodding, Peyton almost dropped his Weevil in surprise as Ianto and Sage rounded a corner. Looking no worse for the wear, Ianto's suit, which Jack was happy to see the return of, was barely rumpled. Sage, however, had smudges all over her, bloodied knuckles and the beginnings of a spectacular bruise on her cheek. The smile she wore was very bright though, almost too perky.

"Ianto!" Jack called out. "Miss me already?"

"Always, Sir," came the dry reply as he grabbed the loose arm of Jack's Weevil and slung it around his shoulder, and action Sage mirrored with Peyton.

"What happened to you?" the Scotsman asked, peering around the bulbous head at his co-worker.

"Caught a Weevil."

"Was your stunner malfunctioning?" Jack asked curiously. She seemed all right, but it would be bad if a broken stunner got put back in the armory.

"It didn't come into play," Ianto said as they passed yet another turn and the SUV came into view parked at the lip of the alley.

Again, there was a slightly manic grin. "A spot of violence always clears my head," she informed them, "And I have an idea on how to deal with making your mates flesh again."

Jack and Ianto traded looks as Sage sped up her pace, pulling the Weevil and Peyton along with her, though the doctor looked like he'd much rather not be so close to someone who he felt was nuts.

Feeling Ianto's exasperated gaze, Jack said, "Okay, maybe she is a bit…touched. But at least she's on our side."

Ianto continued to level his glare at the side of Jack's head, making the older man cringe. "What?….Maybe Owen can recommend a nice mood stabilizer and she'll work out fine. Or it could be the kind of crazy that grows on you?"

With a sigh, Ianto said, "Well, at least one of her personalities drinks coffee. She has that going for her."

"There's always that," Jack smiled. "Let's get Brad and Frank home."

This made Ianto laugh.

* * *

After securing the four new Weevils in the cells, Ianto, Gwen and Jack gathered in he center of the HUB with Owen and Tosh. It seemed that the pair of them had 'woken up' in the Hub almost a day after their deaths. In the weeks that followed they had attempted every method they could think of to contact their friends, but the inability to touch, be seen or heard stymied them.

"Didn't stop Owen from following Jack around for nearly a full day, shouting some very naughty things," Tosh said with a wicked smile, nudging the doctor gently.

Owen snorted, waved a finger at Jack and Ianto and replied, "Yeah, well now I know for sure what you two get up to in the archives."

Flushing, Ianto stammered, "Tell me you didn't…wait, we haven't…not since…Oh, bugger off, Owen!"

Jack just smiled ad Owen said to Tosh, "Told you they had!"

"First the Greenhouse, now the archives," Gwen giggled, soon joined by Tosh. "I guess we'll have to be doubly sure to knock on closed doors!"

"Oi! What's this about my Greenhouse?" Owen demanded unhappily, casting a glance towards the glass enclosed room. "You trying to traumatize the foliage?"

"The plants enjoy the company," Jack said with a soft smile while Ianto hid his face behind a hand.

"The poor things must be feeling neglected after the past few weeks," Tosh said with a straight face, then patted Ianto's back as the archivist groaned.

Owen opened his mouth, probably ready to tease some more, when something caught his eye. "What the hell are you up to now?"

The others turned to follow his gaze to where Sage was standing. The blond woman was again burning herbs and waving them around and chanting. After a minute, she stopped and said, "Just prepping to re-coporealize you two tomorrow."

Tosh smiled eagerly. "Do you really believe you can?"

Sage nodded. "Yes. I just need to get a dead pig in the morning and I'll have all the necessary ingredients."

"Dead pig?" Gwen asked in disgust. "You're going to kill a pig?"

"I could, but I thought it would be easier to just visit the butcher," Sage replied soberly.

Jack held up a finger. "Can I ask why you need a pig?"

"Pig tissues are compatible with human…and believe me you don't want to know the rest," she said. "Let's just say the base of skin and bone has to come from somewhere and dragging out a human corpse is not usually an option."

"You're going to magically create our bodies using a pig?" Owen questioned, looking very unhappy.

"And your blood and tissue samples that are stored in medical," Sage agreed, looking over to where Peyton was lurking by the medical bay.

The Scot nodded. "I checked. There's plenty for what you need, Luv."

"Grand," Sage said, snuffing out her burning herbs. "That's about all I can do for now."

Jack looked at his watch and said, "It's late. Let's call it a day."

"But how can we leave when Owen and Tosh can't?" Gwen asked, casing a worried glance at the pair.

"No worries," Owen said. "We'll be here in the morning."

"Besides, Jack will be here," Tosh assured her with a smile and a hug.

"As will I," Ianto said with a small smirk.

"I don't want to hear anything naughty," Owen teased with a grin.

"Speak for yourself," Tosh said quietly which made all of them laugh.

Gwen nodded. "All right then. See you in the morning."

* * *

It had been years since Ianto Jones had needed an alarm to wake him in the morning. His internal clock was eerily accurate and always woke him minutes before any alarm he set. Sometimes it was annoying, but other times quite pleasant.

This morning was one of those pleasant times. Jack was still sleeping soundly, curled against Ianto's side with a heavy, tanned arm draped around his own pale torso.

Soft puffs of breath from the American's open mouth gently stirred Ianto's chest hair and the Welshman smiled, caressing Jack's smooth back.

After a few moments Jack stretched, mumbled and pressed his face into Ianto's chest. "Good morning," Ianto said, earning a sleepy noise from the older man.

"Wa fime if if?" Jack murmured without moving his face.

Fortunately, Ianto was well versed in garbled Jack speak. "It's just before seven am," he replied. "We should be getting up."

"Mmmm," Jack responded, lifting his head to look at Ianto. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, and feel better for it."

"So, shower?"

"Owen and Tosh are upstairs."

"Apparently they've been around for quite a while."

"During a period of time when we were too damn tired to do anything."

"Who said anything about doing anything….I was just suggesting a shower." Jack tried to look innocent, but that just made Ianto laugh.

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Nearly an hour later, Jack and Ianto emerged from Jack's room beneath the HUB, dressed and ready for the day. As Ianto moved off toward the coffee machine, Jack fiddled with the navy pinstriped waistcoat he wore with matching trousers and his traditional light blue shirt. "I don't recognize this," he said, looking a bit confused.

Ianto peeked out from the kitchen and said, "It's new."

There was a laugh from the center of the HUB and Owen said, "I knew he was picking your clothes."

Tosh gave him a playful shove. "Be nice Owen."

"I was just saying Jack's style of dress has changed since they started…" Owen paused as Tosh pulled back his arm to swat him again, "…their thing."

Jack grinned slightly and then called out, "Hey Ianto, do you know what happened to my old tan vest? Last time I remember wearing it was around the time I hired Gwen."

"For good reason," came the reply from the kitchen.

"It was rather hideous," Tosh said with a laugh, which caused Owen to snort and nod in agreement.

Jack sniffed, pretending to be offended. "I'll have you know it was very practical. Lots of pockets, plus it was puffy so it provided padding during a fight."

This statement caused Ianto, Owen and Tosh snicker and Ianto passed Jack a cup of coffee.

It was then that Gwen and Rhys entered the HUB, followed by Peyton and Sage, who were carrying a large cooler between them. "Morning," Gwen called out, echoed by Rhys.

Owen ignored the greeting, instead focusing on the box. "That the pig?"

Sage nodded serenely as she and Peyton placed the cooler down. "It will just take me a few minutes to get things ready."

Heading toward the medical bay, Peyton said, "I'll just be getting you those samples then."

"Thanks," the blond woman replied, then shook her head at the coffee Ianto held out to her. "Not before spell work, thanks."

Ianto nodded and passed Gwen and Rhys their cups. "No work today, Rhys?" he questioned conversationally.

The other Welshman grinned. "Playing sick. Not everyday you get to see magic, is it?"

The others nodded in agreement and watched as Sage proceeded to draw a large pentacle on the floor in chalk. On each of the points she placed a pillar candle, and in the center she laid a white cloth. On that she placed a final candle, the dead pig and a large wooden bowl. Accepting several vials of blood from Peyton, she poured then into the bowl, then added Red Raspberry Leaf, Nettles, Alfalfa, Chamomile and Rose Hips. She gently stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon and then smeared it on the pig.

"Not my preferred marinade on pork," Owen quipped, breaking the silence.

"Owen, shut it," Gwen chided, still watching Sage with interest, but she didn't seem perturbed by the interruption.

Waving a hand at Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys and Peyton, Sage said, "Could each of you take a place beyond a point of the pentacle, please. And Owen, Tosh, join me in the center, here. Sit."

Owen and Tosh lowered themselves to sit cross legged on one side of the pig, facing Sage over it. The blond looked around. "Everyone ready? Okay, quiet now."

Kneeling, Sage closed her eyes and tilted her face up, then swept another bundle of burning herbs thought the air at Tosh and Owen. "By this creature of fire, I purify this space. May my hopes and aspirations rise within this veil of smoke and become one with the universe. With every breath I take may I be empowered by the light of the Goddess. So mote it be."

Sage's head jerked down and her eyes snapped open. The Spirit pillar candle in front of Ianto blazed to life and a crackle of energy could be felt in the room.

"Gracious Goddess who walks through the mists of time, my need of you is endless but today I ask only for power. Fill my being with your strength and be with me this day that I may be empowered by your gifts of life. Hold true this spell I work. Blessed be."

This time as she paused the Earth candle before Rhys burst to light and Sage sprinkled a handful of soil by the pig. The slightest tremors shook the room.

"Uriel, intune my magic with nature. Let me judge not the path or people before me but trust in the goddess to light the way. Let me be reminded of this daily. Let my eyes be open to the true meaning of life. As we come from the earth so shall we return to the earth, let me not forget your true treasures. So mote it be."

Another sweep of the burning herbs and the Air candle leapt to life before Gwen. A breeze circled the room, stirring everyone's hair and clothes as it swirled around them.

"Rapheal, fill my soul with knowledge. Let my powers grow and my intuition be endless. I claim my birthright as a witch, empower me and allow me all that is wise. I claim the magic to work this spell today. So mote it be."

Fire leapt from Sage's empty palm fully igniting the burning herbs in her hand. She dropped the bundle onto the pig as the Fire candle before Jack lit and the room filled with warmth.

"Michael, let my desires be powered with endless energy and grow into full manifestation. Let my work be prosperous and the law of three protect me and mirror against all that do wrong against me. So mote it be."

From some mysterious place Sage produced a small glass bottle of water and poured it over the center of the pig, dousing some of the flames. Before Peyton, the Water candle lit and a feeling of cool permeated the formerly hot room.

"Gabriel, keep this family safe and let their love for each other be abundant. Let our path be in joy surrounded by family and friends. Let our love last through life times ahead. Bless us always. So mote it be."

Sage held out a hand over the pig and drew a blade across her palm, spilling her own blood onto the pig and fire. The Self candle before her burs aflame and began to emit a thick smoke, as did the other five candles.

"I, Sage take the power given and honor it. I reach for strength from the blood that is life itself to form bodies as temples in health and light. Let my chakras shine bright with balance and health. Blessed be."

Raising her hands, the swirling winds increased but drew in, surrounding the three in the center of the circle. The cyclone effect drew in the smoke from the candles creating a hazy funnel that grew darker by the moment and crackled with energy.

"I am Sage. I am a priestess of my goddess. This is my bidding and these are my words. May this spell not reverse or place upon me any curse. So mote it be."

The last sentences were said at a shout to be heard over the din of the wind and energy. For a moment, it seemed nothing was changing, then there was a boom, a flash of light and an energy wave rippled out from the funnel, knocking everyone to the ground.

* * *

As awareness returned to Gwen Cooper, she blinked slowly, wondering why the world seemed to be a hazy, grey blur and why she was hearing dull chimes of bells. After a moment, she realized she was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling and struggled to sit up. Her vision and hearing clearing, she looked around and saw others in similar conditions. Ianto was sitting up against the side of a desk, rubbing his head, which left him with adorably tousled hair. A splash drew her attention and she turned to see Jack hauling himself out of the water by the base of the tower. Peyton had gotten to his knees by Rhys, who looked a bit disoriented, but was sitting up under his own power.

Gwen was almost afraid to look to the center of the room, where Owen, Tosh and Sage had been in the eye of the mini magic storm. Slowly, she allowed her gaze to scan the area and squawked in surprise.

Owen was sprawled on the floor where he had been sitting, Tosh draped over his chest. When the spell had begun they had both been wearing the same clothes they had worn on the day they died. Now they were both bare as the day they were born.

New hands entered her line of sight as Peyton slid into full medic mode and checked first Tosh, then Owen for a pulse. When he looked up, he grinned, "Strong, steady pulses. That's a good sign. No visible external injuries."

Ianto joined him with pair of blankets and Jack, still shaking off water, stepped over. "Can we move them?"

"Down to the med bay, yes," the doctor said. "I'll be down after I check Sage."

As she struggled upright, Gwen realized she hadn't seen Sage from behind Owen and Tosh's slumped forms. The blond lay sprawled on the floor, her face pale beneath the bruises and cuts she had gathered the night before. Laying on the floor by her side, a wicked knife was still clenched in her right hand. Her left hand rested on the delicate white cotton camisole that covered her upper body. Only it was no longer white. Bright red blood stained her top and, as she watched, the stain was spreading.

Then Peyton was there, wrapping her hand tightly in a tourniquet before checking her vitals. Scowling, he gathered her gently into his arms, just as Jack had with Owen and Ianto with Tosh. Gwen and Rhys followed along, worried for the three unconscious people.

As there was only the one exam bed in the med bay, Peyton had set up a pair of cots earlier. Jack and Ianto placed their two colleagues on the cots while Peyton deposited Sage on the exam bed. It was crowded with the extra beds, but no one wanted to leave.

"Any idea…." Jack began, only to be interrupted as Owen drew a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Owen!" Three voices chorused together as they pushed toward his bed.

"That was fucked up," Owen muttered, then raised a hand to his neck. "I'm alive! And not in the weird walking dead sense…Why am I naked?"

There was a soft giggle from the other cot and everyone turned to regard Tosh, who laughed, "I'd like to know that myself."

"Make people new bodies and they complain about a lack of clothes," came a weak murmur from Sage, who was barely stirring as Peyton stitched her hand. "There's no pleasing some people."

At that, Gwen sat on the cot beside Tosh and hugged her friend, crying happy tears. Rhys patted her back gently as Jack wrapped an arm around Owen's shoulders to help him sit up and Ianto poked Owen teasingly.

For the first time in weeks things seemed right

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End file.
